Friends and Benefits
by merder4everandever
Summary: Derek and Meredith are over,or are they?Conner takes the place of Burke and becomes best friends with Derek AND meredith's new boy toy. Will Conner make Derek realize that he still loves Mer? Will she ever realize it? Some friends get all the benefits!ch5
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OMG someone HAS to stop me! I can't stop making fics!!! Lol…but this one takes place about 2 weeks after the finale. Conner Finnegan takes the place of Burke and Derek and him become really great friends. Alex, Mark, Izzie, George, and Cristina are in this fic. merder, and merconner…or however you say that! Haha. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! **

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Conner, the new cardio attending, ran up to Derek and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Dude, I love this hospital…chicks are EVERYWHERE!"

Derek didn't hear a word Conner was saying, he was too occupied with staring at Meredith. He wondered whether she was moving on. Conner noticed.

"Derek, I know, that babe is the number one on my list!"

Derek quickly turned around and faced Conner. "What?"

"That one right there." He pointed right at Meredith. "She's like…wow! The second on my list is Stevens, she has the biggest…"

Derek cut him off. "Wait? You like Meredith?!"

Conner gave him a confused look. "Like? Dude, we're not in grade school…but yeah, she seems hot. Why are you going to ask her out?"

Derek quickly shook his head. "No…why?"

"Cause if you're not…then I will!"

Derek stiffened. He really got to know Conner since Burke left, and he was a great guy! He probably was his best friend. But him and Meredith? Could he handle that?

"Don't…" Derek started to walk away. Conner caught up with him.

"Woooo. Dude, don't? Why not?"

"Cause…" He searched his mind for excuses. "It's against the rules!"

"Like anyone follows these rules anymore!"

"But…"

"Derek, come on, we're best buds, right?"

"Uh…right."

"Good. Then please…let me go on one date with her!" Conner pursed his lips out, and tried to make the puppy dog face. Derek laughed.

"You look stoned."

Conner rolled his gorgeous green eyes and shook out his dirty blonde hair. "Come on…PLEASE!!!"

Derek sighed then paused. This was big. What if Conner and Meredith actually FELL IN LOVE?! He would never be able to handle that! But then again, she DID break up with him. Maybe it was time to let her go. Maybe it was time that he moved on. He looked at Conner then slowly nodded his head.

:"FINE! You can ask…" He swallowed hard, "Meredith…on a date."

Conner punched his fist in the air. "Yes, thank you dude!"

Derek nodded then ran his finger through his hair.

"Okay, Shep, I'm gonna ask her now…watch the master of flirting at work!" He rubbed his hands together and tapped Meredith on the shoulder.

She turned around. "Yes?"

"Hi." He held out his hand. "Conner Finnegan, the new cardio attending, I just wanted to tell you that you look amazing."

Meredith giggled. "I do? Well, these srubs do show off my hips."

A large, perfect smile spread across Conner's face. "Well…how about we get you into a slick, black cocktail dress to show off more of your features?"

She raised an eye brow. "Are you hitting on me?"

"Possibly…"

She let out a small smile. "Sorry…not dating."

"Really?"

"Surprise you?"

"Yes…but it's your loss. I mean I'm perfect. I'm hot, charming, funny, rich, nice, sweet, kind…"

She grinned. "AND conceited…"

He smiled flirtatiously. "That hurt."

Meredith hesitated. Should she go out with him. Sure, he was drop dead gorgeous…but still, she wasn't completely over Derek. Then again, she should rip the stitches. "Fine…I'll go out with you."

Conner mouthed: YES! "Thank you, thank you…pick you up at 8?"

"Sure…"

Conner ran out of the nurse's station and nearly tackled Derek. "Shep…you are NEVER gonna believe this!"

"You're gonna dye your hair?"

"NO! Of course not!" He touched his hair. "Why, are my roots showing?"

Derek raised his eye brows.

"KIDDING! But on a serious note…she said YES!"

"Meredith?"

"Yep! Isn't that great!?"

A pain struck through Derek's body. "Yeah…really, really great."


	2. Moving Out

Meredith smoothed out her hair as she waited for Conner to pick her up. She checked her watch then heard the doorbell ring. She smiled then ran to answer it. There was Conner. Leaning against the door, his hair as messy as ever, but still oh so hot! She grinned.

"Well, look at you!"

He twirled around. "I think it makes me look big around the hips, but I'll take what I can get!"

Meredith smiled. "So do you ever stop flirting?!"

He grinned, causing his green eyes to sparkle. "Well it depends on how much I like the girl…"

She shook her head then grabbed Conner's hand. "Okay then, well let's go!"

* * *

Derek paced his trailer. He had to get out of there! He was sick of living in the small space! He threw open the door and went out into the cool air. The wind whipped at his hair. He crossed his arms then sat down on the step. He decided to call Conner.

As he rolled his neck, Conner picked up. "Dude, what are you doing, I'm on a date!"

"Oh yeah, right! Sorry, I forgot. How is it?"

"It's great! She's in the bathroom right now, but she is so hot!"

Derek cringed. "Uh, yeah…"

"But anyway, she loves men with great hair! HELLO, I HAVE PERFECT HAIR!"

Derek chuckled then nodded. "Well that's, that's great man…"

"I know! Usually I hate the whole dating thing but she makes it fun!"

Derek smiled remembering all the fun times he had with Meredith. But none of that mattered anymore…because she was with Conner. "Well, you have fun."

"Okay, but what are you doing?"

"Uh, just sitting here, practically freezing to death!"

"Why are you outside?!"

"I can't stand my trailer! It's gotten WAY too small!"

There was a short pause, then Conner spoke. "Oh my God, DUDE, you can move in my house! I was looking for a roommate anyway! Ah, that'd be awesome! We could stay up late, eat junk food, watch scary movies…"

Derek cut him off. "Wooo, cowboy, don't get ahead of yourself!"

"What?! It'd be great! Uh-oh here she comes…think about it, though…see ya!"

As the line went dead, Derek snapped his phone shut. He ran his fingers through his hair and went back into his trailer. Moving in with Conner could be a possibility. After all, without Meredith, he was pretty lonely. He wouldn't give up the trailer…not yet anyway. At least he would have someone to talk to. But then again, what if Conner and Meredith got serious…he would see her EVERY DAY! He sighed then plopped down on his bed. Maybe he should move in with Conner. Even if Meredith did end up staying there too, it's not like anything would happen between the two of them. Their relationship would be strictly business. Nothing else. Of course it would be hard, but they were moving on. She had moved on with Conner and he should move on. He nodded his head, he had made his decision. He was moving in with Conner…

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**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I know this wasn't the longest chapter in the world, but it is a turning point in the story. Please continue to review and tell me what you think. More updates will be on the way!**


	3. Friday

Derek was flipping through the tv channels when Conner knocked on his door. He quickly got up to answer it.

"Hey."

Conner waltzed into the trailer. "Oh my gosh, Derek, this girl is AMAZING!"

He closed the door, grasping the knob a little too tight. "I bet…"

"But anyways, have you decided about moving in?!"

Derek scratched his head then plopped down on his couch. "Uh…yeah, I'll do it. But I'm gonna keep the trailer for a bit."

Conner threw his fist in the air. "YES!!!!! Okay well let's get your things together!"

* * *

Meredith smiled as she thought about her crazy date with Conner. Izzie noticed.

"What are you so happy about?"

Meredith leaned over the counter and grabbed one of Izzie's cookies. "You know that Conner guy? Cardio?"

"The hottie that replaced Burke?"

"Yep. That's the guy I went on the date with." She took a huge bite out of her cookie.

Izzie threw her spoon down. "SHUT UP! OH MY GOSH, MER, HE'S GORGEOUS!!"

Meredith giggled. "I know! But…"

Izzie sighed. "Forget about Derek. You moved on!"

Meredith nodded then took another bite. "True…"

Izzie licked her fingers. "You are soooo lucky!"

She grinned, but in the back of her mind, she still missed Derek. But, Izzie was right. She should move on. "Iz, have you ever…loved someone so much that it hurt to move on."

Izzie exhaled deeply. "No…look, Meredith, I know how much you loved Derek…I mean, everyone knows, but you have to move on EVENTUALLY…"

"Yeah, I know, I know…it's just hard."

Izzie rubbed her friend's back. "I know, but you're hot! You can get ANY guy!"

Meredith playfully shoved her friend then took a huge gulp of water. "You know what, you're right! Today is the day when I am gonna move on!"

Izzie laughed. "That's the attitude! Now, does Conner have any cute friends?!"

Meredith burst out laughing, nearly spitting out all her water. "I'll ask…"

"Good!"

* * *

Derek sneezed as he entered the dusty apartment with all of his bags.

Conner turned around. "Ah….isn't this quite the deal? The bachelor pad of the century!" He plopped down on his couch and a cloud of dust rose from it.

Derek rubbed his eyes. "Conner…it's dusty! I'm allergic to pollen!"

"Well, take some Claritin, it'll be fine…I'm still fixing some of it up, but once I'm done it'll be chick's heaven."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Chick's Heaven? Why the hell am I friends with you?"

Conner smiled. "Cause I have great hair like you, now come on I'll show you your room."

Conner opened the 1st door on the 2nd floor, reavealing a tan rug, with a blue comforter. The walls were painted lime green and a disco ball hung from the ceiling.

Derek couldn't help but laugh. "OH MY GOD!"

Conner grinned. "I know, the disco ball adds the perfect touch!"

Derek laughed so hard that tears were streaming down his face.

Conner looked confused. "Dude, are you crying?"

Derek chuckled a few more times then wiped the tears off his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Conner…but I am going to have to change this room around."

"WHAT?! NO, IT'S PERFECT!"

"PERFECT?! There's a disco ball with colored lights hanging from my ceiling!"

"EXACTLY!"

Derek let out an aggravated sigh. "Fine…but the disco ball has to go. This isn't Austin Powers pad…"

Conner sighed then flipped his hair back. "Fine, fine…but it's going in the living room then!"

"NO! IT'S GOING IN THE TRASH!"

As the two continued to argue, the phone started ringing. Derek quickly picked it up.

"Hello?"

Meredith was a bit surprised. "Derek?"

"Meredith?"

Conner quickly ran over and stantched the phone from Derek. "Hey, Mer, this is Conner…sorry Derek is moving in so he answered."

Meredith raised her eyebrows. "Derek's moving in?"

"Yeah, but anways…why did you call?"

"Oh, uhm…I wanted to see if you wanted to go out on Friday."

"How about you come over here on Friday. We can all hang out…you, Derek, and I. It'll be fun!"

Meredith started playing with her fingers. "Uhh…I don't think it's such a good idea."

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun! PLEASEEE!"

Meredith sighed. "Fine. I'll be over at 8."

"Perfect, see you then!"

As the line went dead, Meredith fell onto her couch. It's not like she didn't want to see Derek. She did. But she knew it would be weird…VERY weird. But then again, she had to get over Derek SOMETIME! And maybe this was the perfect time to let go. As she sat up on her couch, she ran her fingers through her hair and yawned. Friday seemed WAY closer than it really was…

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**A/N: I really like this story. It's going to get funnier and some surprises are coming too! PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!**


	4. Losing Everything

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update my stories sooner! It's just been hard between the school shopping, last minute summer get together's, and school projects. But, I am going to start updating ALL of my stories real soon! Once I get settled with school, I should have regular updates!!! Thanks again for your patience and REVIEWS!!!! )**

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Meredith knocked on Conner's apartment door on Friday Night. She tucked her arms under her coat and shivered. It was getting colder every day and she missed the warm weather. Suddenly, the door swung open. Except it wasn't Conner…it was Derek.

"Uh, hi come on."

Meredith gave him a small smile then quickly entered the apartment. She threw her coat and purse on the couch then looked around.

"Uh…is Conner here?"

Derek nodded then grabbed his beer off the counter. "Yep. Bathroom…"

"Oh…" Meredith nodded then shifted on her feet uncomfortably. "So…"

Derek tapped his fingers against the beer bottle glass. "So…"

Meredith cleared her throat then ran her fingers along the soft couch. "How have you been?"

He took a gulp of his beer then shrugged. "Good I guess…"

"Did you, uh, give up the trailer?"

Derek smiled. "No. I could never give that up!"

Meredith grinned. "Yeah."

"So how are you and Conner doing?"

Meredith shrugged. "Well we just met. I like him, though. He's sweet, I can see why you're friends with him."

Derek gave her a small smile, but behind the smile, he was hurt. He never knew how much he would miss Meredith. Suddenly, Conner entered the room. "Hey, hey, hey…how you've been?"

Meredith laughed then hugged him. "Good…you?"

"Perfect now that you're here…"

He started kissing her neck. Normally, Meredith wouldn't have mind but the fact that Derek was right there, WATCHING them…was very uncomfortable to her. And the weirdest part was that she kept her eyes fixed on Derek, and not Conner. Derek cleared his throat, which made Meredith push Conner away.

Conner jumped back then looked between Meredith and Derek. "Uh…am I missing something?"

They both quickly shook her heads then entered the kitchen where Conner had a box of Papa John's pizza on the counter. After the two disappeared into his tiny kitchen, Conner shook his head then followed them.

Meredith quickly took a slice and shoved it in her mouth. She figured if she was eating, no one would talk to her

Derek twirled his beer around in his hands as he sat as far away from Meredith as possible. Conner blinked.

"Dudes, seriously, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right! Did you guys get in a fight or something?! You're acting like this is the most awkward thing in the world!"

Meredith sunk in her chair. "Cause it is…"

"Huh?"

"Conner, Derek and I were together for a long time, and we broke up so excuse us if this is a little awkward."

Derek shut his eyes tight as he thought of how mad Conner would be. Why did Meredith spill the beans?! "Conner, I…"

"YOU TWO WERE TOGETHER AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?"

Derek took a huge sip of his beer. "Here we go…"

"Derek, I thought we were friends."

"WE ARE!"

"Friends don't lie about their past girlfriends!"

Derek quickly stood up. "I DIDN'T LIE TO YOU!"

"BUT YOU WITHHELD THE TRUTH! IT'S THE SAME THING!"

Derek shook his head. "I'm done fighting with you about this!

Conner ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine…maybe I should leave, you two seem to have a lot to talk about!" With that he stormed out of the house before Derek could stop him.

Meredith sighed. "I'm sorry…"

"MEREDITH, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"Well he had to know SOONER OR LATER!"

Derek rubbed his eyes. "I WOULD HAVE TOLD HIM LATER! HE DIDN'T NEED TO HEAR IT FROM YOU!"

"WELL EXCUSE ME FOR NOT KNOWING!"

He ran his hands down his face then kicked the dishwasher. "Damn!"

Meredith breathed in deeply, inhaling the smell of dust and Axe. "Look, I'm sorry. But, Conner will forgive you…"

"AND WHAT IF HE DOESN'T?!"

"HE WILL! He's sensitive!"

Derek slammed his hand against the table and tried his best to calm himself down. He didn't know why he was so mad. He thought half of it was because he could have lost his best friend and the other half was because he lost the love of his life to his best friend.


	5. Dirty Dirty Dirty

A/N: I know. It's been like 2 months. But I've been extremely busy. Very very busy and I'm so sorry for that. I really hope I still have readers!!!! REVIEW PLEASE!!!!

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The next day went by very slowly. Conner didn't glance at Derek and Derek tried not to care. But he did care. He was losing his best friend, and if he didn't do something soon, he could lose him forever. Mustering all the courage he had, he slowly walked up to his soon-to-be ex- best friend. "Conner…" 

Conner looked down, trying hard not to concentrate on Derek. "Go away Shepherd."

"Look, can you just talk to me?!"

"NO!" He turned to face him. "No, I will NOT talk to you!" As Conner turned around to leave, a tiny little blonde stared at him, her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing Conner? Derek is trying to ask for your forgiveness and you are completely ignoring him! Look, it was my fault in the first place and trust me, I didn't want to separate you two but for God's sakes give him a chance!"

Conner couldn't help but smile. Meredith was adorable, especially when she was mad. "Are you saying that cause you want _me_ to be happy…or do you just want him?"

Meredith raised an eye brow, a little shocked at Conner's response. She looked behind him and saw Derek put his head down. Sighing, she said, "I want you to be happy. Derek and I are done."

Derek looked up. He didn't know why but when she said that word- that horrible word- he got an aching pain in his chest. _Done_.

Conner turned towards Derek, and reluctantly held his hand up. "Shake it Shep."

Derek let out a small smile and took Conner's hands, shaking it hard and firm. "Are we okay?"

Conner looked back at Meredith, who nodded her head. "Yeah…we're okay."

Derek grinned then looked at his watch. "I have a surgery, so see you later."

"Oh Derek…"

He turned around and faced his best friend. "Yeah Conner?"

He smirked then in a whisper said, "It's Monday. Strip Poker night."

Derek raised an eye-brow. "What?!"

"Dude, you've never played strip poker?"

"Conner, we're not in high school anymore, we can't do _that_!"

Conner smiled, revealing his perfectly white teeth. "Come on Shep…it's high school with scalpels. Plus, I have some pretty hot babes I could you hook you up with."

"But I don't-"

"Oh yes you do. Believe me, oh boy, you do."

Derek shook his head. Why was he friends with this guy? Then he asked a question that lingered in the back of his mind. "What happened to Meredith? I thought you really liked her."

"I do," He nodded his head then began again, "But who knows…she might be invited too."

Derek's mouth dropped open. "W-what?"

"Well she told me you two were long done. I mean, would you mind if she played?"

He stared at him, incredibly bewildered. "Would I mind if Meredith played stip poker with me, you, and a bunch of sluts?"

Conner smirked. "Well, when you put it that way…it sounds so dirty."

"Cause it _is_ dirty!"

"Alright, Shep. You're boring. Incredibly boring. And I am trying to liven you up, but, once again, you're judging me!

"I'm not judging."

"Well then, are you in or not? Think about it, hot girls, beer, hot girls, _stip_ poker!"

Derek tilted his head to the left, contemplating all of this. "Would you seriously invite Meredith?"

"Not if you don't have any self control."

Derek smiled, a little embarrassed. "No, it's not like that. She's right. We are long done."

"Alright then. This should be fun…"

With that, Conner rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Strip poker…with Conner, gorgeous women, and Meredith. This was going to be bad, he could tell.

* * *

Derek sailed through the TV channels in his NYU t-shirt and sweatpants. He just got out of the shower so his hair was soaked, and droplets of water stained his shirt. He ran a hand through his thick, wet hair and shut off the TV. It was 7:30 and everyone would be over in a half hour. Conner was out getting booze and "other stuff" (whatever that meant.) So now he was home alone, bored to death. Suddenly, the door knocked. He quickly got off the couch and opened the door. It wasn't Conner, or the hot girls…it was Meredith. 

Meredith looked up at Derek, transfixed by how hot he looked with his hair soaked. "Oh hey…"

He smiled, but couldn't stop his wandering eyes from traveling over her body, covered by a shot, black cocktail dress. "Wow, you look…uhm…wow."

She smiled shyly. "Thanks…so do you."

"Yeah, I took a lot of time to pick out this outfit." He grinned at his sarcasm.

She giggled, stepping into the apartment. Derek grinned, he loved the giggle. Oh man did he love it. "So, Derek, are you aware of what we're doing today, cause Conner hasn't told me?"

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Really? He didn't tell you?"

She shook her head and sat on the edge of the couch, crossing her right leg over her left. He tried to stop staring, but he couldn't. She looked unbelievably hot in that dress and the way she was sitting…boy, was she turning him on. But he couldn't think of that. She was practically Conner's girlfriend, NOT his. He had to respect that.

"No, he didn't. I figured it was just dinner or something."

Derek grinned in spite of himself. "Well it's definitely not dinner…"

Meredith raised an eye brow. A confused look overshadowed her face. "Then what is it?"

He smiled his gorgeous blue eyes bluer than ever. "I think you'll find out soon enough…"

She grinned then pushed her bangs out of her eyes. As she turned her face, she saw Derek's eyes sweep over her body…again. Hmmm, if he was going to stare at her, she might as well have fun with it. "Are you checking me out?"

Derek took a step back, surprised at her reaction. "What? Well, no…I was…uhm, you…sorry..."

She smiled, then slowly got off the couch. She then walked towards him, loving the fact that she had all the control. As she got closer and closer to him his breathe quickened. What was she doing?! Finally, she stopped two inches away from his face. Bringing her face closer to his she whispered, "That's okay."

He swallowed hard. She was once inch away from his lips. ONE INCH! He found it extremely hard to regain his composure. She stared at him with her beautiful green eyes, then slowly backed into the kitchen, leaving him breathless and completely shocked.

"Have anything to drink? I'm thirsty."

He ran a shaky hand through his hair then cleared his throat. There was a lot of sexual tension in the room, and the night had barley started! "Uhm, Conner went to get beer."

"Oh, that sucks. When's he coming back?"

The doorbell rang and Derek quickly answered it. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey Conner." Finally! He was getting extremely uncomfortable with Meredith. He never was uncomfortable with her, but she was doing things to his brain, very strange things. She never acted like that before! She never led him on! She never had that much control over him, but for some reason, he found himself thinking about her…_really_ thinking about her. In many, many ways…

"Hey, I got the booze."

Meredith stepped out of the kitchen and walked up to Conner. "Hey, I'll help."

"Oh, hey…you're here early, what were you two doing?"

Derek looked at Meredith who just smirked. "We were talking about tonight. Is this _really_ just a dinner?"

Conner grinned as he handed Meredith a 12 pack. "Maybe not."

She laughed then gave Derek a look before returning to the kitchen. Derek watched her leave, mesmerized at how gorgeous, sexy, and flirty she was being.

"Oh dude, she is HOT!"

Derek nodded in agreement and as he shut the door he mumbled to himself, "Boy is she hot."

* * *

A/N: Okay this chapter was pretty long. I think I owe it to you guys for it to be long. But yeah, Meredith was in complete control. She wants Derek-she does. Sure, she likes Conner. But she really wants Derek, and he definitely wants her. So she played it up, which is something Meredith usually doesn't too. (But I really think she should) And Conner, poor Conner, he's oblivious to everything. Meredith said that Derek and her were over-and he believed her. Even though he's a big player and flirt, he is also really naïve and that's really going to affect him throughout the story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. The next one will be the stip poker and I'm planning on it to be extremely funny and definitely a few surprises are coming. REVIEW!!!! If you don't review, I'll be sad and I won't want to update. BUT if you do review I'll be happy and update a lot 


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